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Flooding fall-out creates issues for Boulder Valley student count

St. Vrain going ahead as planned, says it isn't seeing the same attendance concerns

By Amy Bounds Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
09/30/2013 06:22:13 PM MDT

Updated:
09/30/2013 06:23:04 PM MDT

The Boulder Valley School District is asking the state for flexibility with its official October student count -- taken today -- because the daily attendance of 200 to 300 students continues to be affected after the widespread, catastrophic flooding.

The district also is asking the Colorado Department of Education to push back its official count date for Boulder's 600-student Crest View Elementary, which just reopened Monday because the school was heavily damaged by floodwaters, to Oct. 10. The official October count determines school funding.

Colorado Department of Education spokeswoman Janelle Asmus said the districts most affected by flooding will be allowed to move their count day as late as Oct. 10 or use previous enrollment numbers back to Aug. 15.

"If there are circumstances that are not addressed by the alternatives, we will work with those districts as best we can to accommodate their unique needs," she said.

St. Vrain Valley spokesman John Poynton said all the district's schools are going forward with the official count today, noting the district isn't seeing significant attendance impacts from the flood.

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In Boulder Valley, Messinger said attendance is expected to normalize in two to three weeks when there's more access out of the foothills above Boulder. The Colorado Department of Transportation estimates that the stretch of Colo. 119 that runs through Boulder Canyon, linking Boulder and Nederland, will be re-opened in mid- to late October. Until then, getting to Boulder requires a lengthy drive.

The district is using a combination of options for students who are having a difficult time getting to school, including using online learning and allowing students to come to school a couple of days a week and learn from home the other days.

But, Messinger said, the district is continuing to provide an education to those students.

"We're taking full responsibility for educating them, so we need the resources," he said.

For Jamestown Elementary, which wasn't damaged but isn't accessible because of washed out roads and widespread damage to the town, the district plans to count the 23 students as attending there even though they're temporarily in other locations.

About a dozen students are in the Bar-K Ranch subdivision near Jamestown in homes that weren't damaged. A Jamestown Elementary teacher who lives in Ward and a teacher's aide are holding school with those students.

Other students are in Boulder after evacuating with their families. Those students are together in a classroom at Community Montessori and are being taught by a Jamestown Elementary teacher who's also in Boulder.

Another issue to sort out is who gets credit for displaced students who are temporarily attending schools in other districts -- the new district or their home district.

"We would like the money to follow the student back to our district." Messinger said.

He said the district may need to file appeals on a case-by-case basis to address all the issues. He's also expecting the district to lose some students whose families decide to permanently move out of the district.

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